U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Acting Secretary Chad Wolf announced Tuesday the opening of the DHS Center for Countering Human Trafficking, the U.S. government’s first-ever integrated law enforcement operations center directly supporting federal criminal investigations, victim assistance efforts, intelligence analysis, and outreach and training activities related to human trafficking and forced labor.

A new global study by the Economist Intelligence Unit and TransUnion has overwhelmingly found the key to whether or not companies go out of business hinges on providing consumers friction-right digital transactions. Nearly 85% of global executives surveyed as part of the study said they believe smooth digital transactions are “essential to business survival” rather than merely a competitive edge. 

There are few discussions in the physical security business that don’t at some point focus on the topic of cybersecurity. One area frequently missing from these conversations is the importance of a trusted supply chain for manufacturers. Since a product is only as good as the hardware and software inside it, examining how something is built can give us rapid insight into its potential vulnerabilities and overall cyber worthiness. The NDAA (National Defense Authorization Act) ban is particularly focused on the subject of component sourcing for security devices. What is inside that device that could be exploited? Where did it come from? What do we know about the manufacturing process? These are all important questions about the manufacturing supply chain that need to be considered by anyone who cares about cybersecurity.

FairWarning announced the results of its Benefits, Attributes and Habits of Mature Privacy and Data Protection Program Report, in partnership with the International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP).

According to the Center for Internet Security (CIS), in September 2020, three malware returned to the Top 10: CoinMiner, CryptoWall, and Emotet. The Top 10 Malware variants composed 87% of Total Malware activity in September 2020, up from 78% in August 2020.

Authentic8 released the results of its 2020 Global Financial Crimes Survey, conducted in partnership with the Association of Certified Financial Crime Specialists (ACFCS).

Following a global consultation, the Forum of Incident Response and Security Teams (FIRST) is launching new ethics guidelines for incident response and security teams on Global Ethics Day. ethicsfIRST provides guidance for cybersecurity professionals on how to conduct themselves professionally and ethically during incidents.  Inspired by Earth Day, Global Ethics Day provides an opportunity for organizations to explore the meaning of ethics in international affairs.

Faced with this ransomware onslaught, organizations of all kinds need to rethink how they protect themselves. Part of that rethink means merging the need to provide better privacy protection for their employees with the necessity to protect themselves from the consequences of a ransomware attack exposing both customer and employee data. With federal agencies signaling the possibility of fines for complying with ransomware demands and the liability from exposing personally identifiable data likely to rise significantly, not doing so will soon be too costly to consider.

We recently surveyed companies across the U.S. about their current cybersecurity challenges now that many have moved to a predominantly remote workforce. Unfortunately, what we found was that most organizations are only scratching the surface when it comes to identity and access management, as they may only be addressing a fraction of what identity can provide. This is leaving many organizations exposed to data breach and compliance fines.